Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife Commission convenes March 4-5 in Westminster with a first-time permanent director, an agenda stacked with decisions that will land directly on hunters, trappers, and ranchers, and a public attendance warning that not everyone who wants to speak will get the chance.
Laura Clellan was confirmed as director by unanimous vote February 23 — four days before the meeting. It is her first commission session in the role. The commission chose her after a nationwide search that drew 150 applicants and produced one finalist. HCA reported February 14 that Clellan, a retired Army general, holds no wildlife management experience — a credential required of entry-level CPW field positions.
The most politically charged item on the agenda won’t be debated at all. The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association, Colorado Wool Growers Association, Middle Park Stockgrowers, Holy Cross Cattlemen’s Association, and 24 additional ranching organizations filed a citizen petition September 5, 2025, asking the commission to delay new wolf releases until at least November 16, 2026. The petitioners argue CPW has not met the conflict-resolution requirements of Proposition 114, the 2020 ballot measure that authorized reintroduction. Clellan has recommended denial. The petition sits on the consent agenda, meaning it will be approved or rejected without floor discussion and without opportunity for verbal public comment.
It is the ranchers’ second attempt. A nearly identical petition filed September 27, 2024 was denied January 8, 2025 — three months after filing and after wolves were already being captured for release in Canada.
Ninety minutes of public comment is scheduled for the furbearer block, where the agenda carries more regulatory proposals than any other section. CPW is asking the commission to establish a daily bag limit of 15 animals across all 17 hunted furbearer species — coyote, beaver, bobcat, mink, pine marten, badger, red fox, gray fox, swift fox, raccoon, ring-tailed cat, striped skunk, western spotted skunk, long-tailed weasel, short-tailed weasel, opossum, and muskrat. CPW’s own issue paper acknowledges no other state in the country imposes daily bag limits on all furbearers and that current harvest levels raise no biological concern. The paper identifies the proposal as a priority of the Governor’s Office.
Colorado has operated under some of the most restrictive furbearer regulations in North America since Amendment 14 passed in 1996, banning foothold traps, body-gripping traps, and cable restraint devices. Those restrictions have kept harvest low for 30 years without bag limits.
The commission will also consider two citizen petitions Clellan recommends denying: one requesting mandatory check requirements for bobcat, swift fox, and beaver, and one proposing to ban the commercial sale of furbearer furs. While recommending denial of the citizen mandatory check petition, CPW is simultaneously advancing its own mandatory beaver check program. Starting October 1, 2026, beaver hunters would be required to physically present carcasses or pelts to CPW for inspection and sealing. The beaver season would be shortened one month, closing March 31 instead of April 30. CPW estimates the program will require more than 1,000 additional staff hours annually to process roughly 1,500 animals.
From furbearers, the agenda moves to a final vote on wolverine damage compensation regulations under SB24-171, the 2024 law authorizing wolverine restoration. The statute requires the commission to first adopt livestock damage regulations before any reintroduction can proceed. This vote clears that last legal requirement. Wolverines were extirpated from Colorado around 1920. CPW notes they are capable of predating domestic sheep and very young calves where their high-elevation range overlaps with grazing operations.
Hunters who own common semiautomatic firearms face a new cost as well. The commission will set the Firearms Training and Safety Course Record Fee at $52 under Senate Bill 25-003, signed April 10, 2025. The fee applies to anyone seeking to purchase a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun with a detachable magazine, or a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun — the most widely owned hunting and sporting firearms in the state. The requirement takes effect August 1, 2026. CPW borrowed $1.5 million from the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Cash Fund to build the program and must repay it with interest by July 1, 2030. The agency estimates 25,000 applicants annually but acknowledges the actual number is unknown.
The commission meets at the DoubleTree by Hilton Denver-Westminster, 8773 Yates Dr., beginning at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. The session is hybrid with virtual participation available. CPW has advised that due to anticipated high attendance, speaking time will be compressed, in-person commenters will receive priority, and some attendees may not receive floor time.
What the agenda reflects is a commission asked to ratify a series of proposals — bag limits without biological justification, a gun fee program built on borrowed parks money, and a rancher coalition’s second wolf petition buried in consent — while a new director navigates her first public meeting four days into the job.
Support Independent Local Journalism — High Country Advocate was created as a real alternative to regional media that too often silences dissenting voices while taking sides in the political struggle. Producing in-depth, unflinching reporting like this series and others is expensive: servers, editing, research time, and legal review all add up quickly. If these articles have informed you or given you new perspective, please consider supporting HCA with a paid subscription — every subscriber helps keep this reporting strong and independent. 